It feels very self involved to write an "epilogue". See, whenever I see the word "epilogue", I assume the characters have all married off, had thirty cute, giggling babies, and bought huge mansions in the same neighborhood. I'm not sure why, but that's what I picture.

Well, I guess this might be an epilogue after all, but please don't judge me. I'm indulging myself, but I thought I would let you guys know what happened after "the end" of things.

Who knows, maybe you remember this story and you'll actually read this?

MY DARLING TALIA

26. Epilogue

Upon her graduation, Gabrielle broke off her engagement with Derek and left Hampton in search of something that would truly fulfill her. She and some of her new friends decided to create a co-ed school for secondary education, because she felt that women's education in England and on the continent was lacking in quality. At first, her school was not regarded highly, and people wrote scathing articles about her, calling her a confused spinster who had too much time on her hands. Her parents and friends continued to support her financially, and she worked hard enough that within a few years, she had earned herself a fairly decent reputation. Because of the liberal nature of the school, many mistakenly believed that it was an arts school, but it was in fact, mainly focused on maths and engineering, Gabrielle's true passion.

It was not, of course, that her passion for men had faded in the least, but many men were intimidated by her. Even the most educated men seemed like buffoons when it came to simple conversation, and she tired of them quickly. Her girl friends would argue amongst themselves when searching for a man for her. Some of them thought that Gabrielle needed a highly educated man, one who could hold his own against her, while others thought she needed a handsome, worldly man, like the sort of person that George was when he was younger.

It was well known that she had adored George in her youth, after all.

In the end, however, Gabrielle found someone all on her own, and it was a shocking choice indeed. Her eye settled on a young teacher in her school, a man much younger than herself, much less worldly, and certainly not as highly educated. What she saw in him, no one was sure, but the boy, and many called him a boy, adored the ground she walked on. Perhaps the reader can understand Gabrielle's choice.

Scandal fades but love does not, and Gabrielle remained happily attached with her younger man. When she was in her late thirties, she had her first and only child, a daughter.

Her school gained acclaim throughout both England and the Continent, and during Gabrielle's later years, she focused on opening new branch campuses.

She stayed in touch with George and Anjali, and even met with Talia on official business every now and then. Talia did her best to promote Gabrielle's school, but the two of them never really became friends.

Anjali never completely recovered from her run-in with Thirteen. Something about her always remained a bit guarded, and when people saw her scars, they knew why she didn't trust easily. Given this, many wondered how she maintained her relationship with Gabrielle, but to Anjali, it seemed as right as day.

Gabrielle and George remained her closest friends during her school years, but when she finally graduated, she decided to pursue medicine head-on, and moved to Mozambique to go to medical school and then do an internship with a doctor there.

Talia was surprised that Anjali didn't head straight back to France, but Anjali cited Talia as her inspiration, tired of the stuffy lifestyle on the continent. To her pleasure, Mozambique was a francophone country, so she was able to put her fluent French skills to good use.

She wrote to her friends often, especially Gabrielle and George. Although she never said anything about the matter, everyone knew she was waiting for him to join her in Mozambique.

George took a while to graduate. It was no surprise to anyone, since he never really knew what he was doing, but what did surprise everyone was that shortly after Thirteen's burial, he changed his focus from codes to fairy studies. Although fairy studies were taught in most schools, it wasn't the sort of thing one could solely study before Thirteen's death because of the lack of solid information. In fact, in many ways, George was a pioneer. He had already researched much about fairy studies when he was trying to defeat Thirteen, and his knowledge helped him develop the field.

When he finally did graduate, he applied for and received an internship to study fairies in Mozambique, and as everyone expected, he left without a second thought.

Anjali and George got married a year later, and the wedding was the talk of the town. It was not lavish, which was surprising to those who knew George, but it was a very large wedding. Everyone George had ever known had been invited, and he had gone through the trouble of paying for his friends' travel expenses to attend the event in Mozambique.

Although some of the gossip magazines had assumed that Gabrielle wouldn't attend, she was the Maid-of-Honor, and her bright smile was captured by many a photographer's camera.

It would be cliche to say that George and Anjali lived happily ever after, but that was the best way anyone could describe it.

Talia and Henry became completely inseparable while she was completing her undergraduate studies. They went to the library together, they skipped classes together, and they even helped each other with homework, despite the fact that Talia knew nothing about Genetics and that Henry could care less about fashion history.

They were easily the sweetest thing on campus, and given that Talia was now a true celebrity, their pictures were on the front of every paper, morning and evening, in Hampton.

However, all good things needed to come to an end at some point, and so it was that when Talia graduated, she left the campus, and Henry, behind.

He was already finished with grad school at that point, but he was offered a small teaching job as an assistant professor on campus, and how could he say no? It was like asking a fish to leave the water.

Talia was more concerned with seeing the world and meeting new people. Henry begged her to stay, even offering to buy a flat near the campus. He went so far as to suggest bringing the children, Sun and Moon, to live with them, but Talia wasn't interested. So that the reader does not misinterpret, it must be said that she loved her children, but she felt a little strange about living with them after neglecting them for four years or so. She sent them trinkets and visited them on holidays, and she was legally their mother, but she wasn't ready to settle down.

Besides, they seemed happy enough with Judge Piggle, and that was all she needed to know.

And so her free spirit lead her away from Hampton and all the way out of England, until she was living as a fashion designer on the continent, in Spain to be exact. She didn't know a word of Spanish when she started, but people found her charming, and she was a quick learner. Her designs evoked the loose, free styles of earlier times, eschewing the tight, restricted styles that were more popular in this modern age.

There was something freeing about living in Spain; no longer did journalists hound her for interviews, and her pictures were no longer in the paper. She left behind her memories of Thirteen in England, and it was better for her that way. After a year and a half of living happily on her own, she met a persistent Spanish boy who only knew the words "how are you" in English but still pursued her. His interest flattered her, and she thought him rather sweet. As time went on, she learned more Spanish, and he learned more English, and they developed a sort of life together.

Talia kept in contact with most of her own friends, but she couldn't write Henry, she simply couldn't. She tried many times, but what was there to say? She even wrote Gabrielle more often, meeting with her once to help design the uniforms for Gabrielle's school.

As time went on, her reputation grew, and soon the strange English girl became a reputable name in Spain. Her dresses sold for decent prices, and fashionable people came to her shows. Things went on in this way for some time when she received a letter from Anjali, declaring that she and George had finally decided to tie the knot. Included in the letter was a ticket for Mozambique, along with a simple request that Talia design her wedding dress.

Of course, she agreed.

She spent her nights looking over old black and white photographs of her friends, scouring for pictures of Anjali. Her boyfriend noticed her interest in these photos and asked her about her old life, but she felt awkward sharing about it with him. She locked herself into a room and tried to remember Anjali's exact skin tone, so that she could make the perfect dress.

A white dress was out of the question, of course. Talia wasn't sure what was popular in France, but she assumed Anjali didn't care. The French were so uppity anyway, and from what Talia recalled, Anjali looked beautiful in red.

She exchanged letters with Anjali on the matter, and Anjali seemed to agree. Inspired by the idea of a nontraditional dress, she asked Talia to make a sari instead. Talia didn't have the slightest clue how to make a sari, but she took the idea and ran with it, writing to designers in India to send her samples.

She grew more and more distant with her boyfriend, dwelling perhaps too much in the past. He told her that he needed space, and she didn't say anything to stop him from leaving.

When Talia was done, the result was stunning, different shades of red snaking up the silk fabric and creating a flame-like effect. She went to Mozambique early to fit the sari on Anjali and make any needed adjustments, and Anjali was overjoyed with the finished work. They were sneaky and made sure that George didn't get a peek at it, despite his many attempts to see what Anjali would wear to the wedding.

George, feeling more traditional than Anjali, went with a new suit, tailored straight from England. Talia didn't approve of the way it fit, and she helped him by making a few adjustments. She also suggested a polka-dotted cravat, but George didn't seem to think much of her idea.

The other guests began to arrive within the month, and amongst them were Judge Piggle and Sun, Talia's remaining child. Talia was surprised to learn that Moon had moved back to the fairy world permanently, though she sent her regards to Anjali and George, along with a magical songbird made of metal gears. It sang beautifully.

Henry was the last guest to arrive, and when he did, he was complaining of all the work he had to leave behind. George teased him mercilessly about it, and the two were soon back to their old antics. They had written each other often, of course, but it was different when the two of them were together in person.

George begged Henry to come live with them in Mozambique, reminding him that there were plenty of opossums, aquatic and otherwise, to be studied there. Henry countered by asking them to return to England. They argued in this way for hours each day, neither man stepping down. They finally agreed that they would have to visit each other more often. Talia had remarked that it was a wonder Anjali was not more wary of George's infatuation for Henry.

As for Henry's reaction to Talia, he could hardly meet her eye, much to her displeasure. On the night of the wedding, she followed him as he tried to make an early escape out of the main entrance to the hall.

When she grabbed his elbow to stop him, he turned on her, and it is widely reported that he looked furious. They had hardly exchanged words, however, when she impulsively kissed him. They were both speechless for a moment after this rather public reunion. Henry cleared his throat and loudly thanked his stars that there were no photographers invited to the wedding.

They did not get back together immediately, but it is safe to say that the rest is history.

AN: Mad love especially to GrannyP and DQ, you know why. But seriously, I love all of you readers, seriously. I never, ever expected so many people to read this. Hope you guys enjoyed this story despite it's shortcomings, and I hope this epilogue didn't bother you. As always, I do appreciate feedback, especially because I miss you guys :( ...Did you have a good summer?